Centrifugal supercharger



Feb. 22, 1944. c PR]E 2,342,219

C ENTRIFUGAL SUPERCHAkGER Filed March 15, 1940 I /v VEN TOR NATHAN C. PRICE Patented Feb. 22, 1944 2,342,219 CENTRIFUGAL surmommcaa Nathan C. Price, Los Angeles, Calif assignor to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, (Balii.

Application March 1-5, 1940, Serial No. 324,129

8 Glaims.

This invention relates to centrifugal blowers or superchargers and more specifically to the association therewith of a means disposed in the inlet conduit of the supercharger whereby the quantity and physical properties of the discharge air, 'gas or other elastic fluid, can be effectively controlled and the range of emcient operation greatly increased.

The provision of a valve in the inlet conduit for the purpose of regulating the quantity of air or gas flowing therein by restricting the efiective opening area has heretofore resulted in pulsations and decreased eiiiciency when the supercharger is operated at reduced output. Thisinefllciency is primarily due to the fact that the regulating valves employed are oi the known butterfly type which operate to throttle the air in a substantially isothermal manner, after which any compression thereof results in an increase in temperature and the expenditure of considerable'energy.

In considering the operation of a centrifugal type of supercharger, it will be understood that a velocity head is created in the impeller which is transformed into a pressure head in the diffuser, said transformation being a substantially adiabatic compression in which a considerable rise in temperature takes place. With the conventional type of supercharger having a butterfly type of regulating valve which operates to isothermally throttle the intake air, this elevated temperature exists regardless of the quantity of theair delivered For certain applications, such as for air conditioning and pressurizing an aircraft cabin, a supercharger must'operate under widely varying conditions and must supply a substantially con.-

stant quantity of air at all times; thus, at very low altitudes the cabin pressure would be substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure, and ii the supercharger is driven by the propelling engine, the impeller therein would be rotated at high speed, particularly during takeoff and climb, and would expend considerable energy in heating the cabin air. I

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide'a centrifugal supercharger with an improved means for regulating the quantity and physical properties of the discharge air in which the air or gas entering the supercharger is adiabatically expanded and accelerated and then admitted into the impeller at a speed near that of the impeller at the point of admission. The result is that since the adiabatic expansion process iii the supercharger inlet is theoretically the exact reverse of the adiabatic compression in the diffuser, the rise in the temperature and pressure of the discharge air is considerably reduced, while the quantity remains substantially constant.

This reduction in the temperature and pressure opening it also disposed in the housing l2 and communicating with the collector chamber 56 is indicated in dotted outline. A butterfly type throttling valve is disposed in the inlet conduit it so as to pivot with the shaft I9 operates to either restrict or completely close said inlet conduit. A by-pass conduit 2t, communicating with the inlet opening it is provided with a check valve 25 which allows air to be drawn into the annular chamber 22 from which it is discharged through a plurality of circumferentially disposed nozzles 23 into the impeller is. In the drawing the noz- Zles 2c are shown with the axes substantially parallel to the axis of the shaft l i, however, it will be understood that said axes should be directed such that the air discharged therefrom will have a velocity component in the direction of impeller rotation.

Except for the by-pass conduit ZlL'check valve 2i, chamber 22 and nozzles 23, andtheir functional relation to the operation of the supercharger, the mechanism thus far described is representative of conventional design.

The operation of the supercharger is as follows: During periods when the performance requirements are severe, that is, when the supercharger is delivering maximum quantity under maximum pressure, the throttling valve I8 is in the open position and the static pressure in the impeller l0 opposite the nozzles 23 is great enough to force air backward through the nozzles 23 into the chamber 22 and against the check valve 2i. In other words, the supercharger will operate conventionally. However, when it is desired to reduce the quantity and temperature of the discharge air, or to reduce the compression ratio of the supercharger, the inlet throttle valve I8 is rotated to nearly or completely close the inlet opening it at which time the static presadmission. Under this condition the impeller absorbs less power and operates to maintain the decreased pressure back of the nozzles; i

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, arrangements have been provided to overcome tendencies for ice formation in the nozzles 23 which, at times, might occur due to the adiabatic expansion of humid air. Accordingly, the chamber It has been constructed in direct heat transferring relationship to said nozzles 23 so that same will be warmed sufhciently to prevent the adhesion of ice thereto. However, this warming of the nozzles 23 will not be sufllcient to appreciably heat the air. In certain cases where it is not expedient to locate the collector chamber adjacent the nozzles above referred to, other nozzle warming methods, such as. heated lubricating oil or heated engine coolant, may be resorted to.

While the inlet throttling valve l8 can be manually operated, it is preferable to provide an automatic means such as'an air motor. Accordingly, I have shown'an air motor comprised of a cylinder 24 in which there is a double acting spring loaded spherical piston 25 adapted to be displaced by diiferential pressure and having a solidly attached piston rod and connecting rod 21 connecting same tov the inlet throttling valve i8. The differential pressure may be obtained by exposing one end of the piston to the supercharger discharge pressure and the opposite end to the supercharger inlet pressure, or dynamic effects of the discharge 'air may be derived from a flow vmeasuring venturi (not shown) and in turn transmitted to the piston 25. By means of such automatic controls a substantially constant dynamic flow is maintained regardless of the impeller speed or air density.

Another application'for my invention is in conaircraft engines, wherein the variation in altitude results in considerable change in air density. Whenever the engine air throttle is not fully opened, such as during low power cruising at low altitude and during cruising at high altitude with I the supercharger running at high speed, there is an unnecessary waste of engine power in driving the supercharger. Since the wasted power is converted into heat in the discharge air, the fuel consumption of the engine is greatly increased due to the fact that the heated air keeps the fuel air mixture far richer than would be required were the air not heated. A considerableperchargers may include a plurality of variable opening nozzles near the periphery of the imnozzles and a second back-flow check valve disposed nearer the center oi the impeller, and a shut-oi! valve in the inlet opening. The outer nozzles would be employed during low-power en-' gine operation at low altitude and would be partly closed as the power was increased. The inner nozzles would come into action at higher altitudes and the outer check valve would be completely closed to prevent back-flow. .According- 1y, not only is isothermal throttling of the air avoided but, in effect, a two-stage or multi-stage supercharger is made from a single impeller and diifuser. Over-performance of the supercharger is thereby limited.

Throughout the preceding description reference has been made to adiabatic and isothermal nection with supercharged engines, especially in I peller, a back-flow check valve back of the nozales, a second plurality of variable opening processes, however, it will be understood that combination of same with the centrifugal type shown but may types.

Having thus described my invention and the present preferred embodiments thereof, I desire to emphasize the fact that many modifications may be resorted to ina manner limited only by a Just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a supercharger of the centrifugal impeller type having an axial inlet and a peripheral outlet, 'means for throttling said axial inlet, and throttle bypass means terminating in nozzles arranged to discharge into said centrifugal impeller in. close proximity to said peripheral outlet whereby the discharge-from said nozzles will be blended with the discharge from said impeller, said bypass means having a check valve arranged to prevent backward flow through said bypass when said throttling means reduces the pressure in said impeller.

2. In an elastic fluid compressor of the change of velocity type, a shaft, air impelling vanesloined to said shaft, an induction air inlet c'ommunicating with one end of said vanes, a discharge air diifuser communicating with the opposite end of said vanes, variable opening means in said inlet,- and air nozzles communicating be readily adapted to many other with said inlet anterior to said variable'opening means and with said vanes near the diffuser end thereofand pointed substantially toward said diflusers entrance.

3. The combination with a supercharger hav- N ing inlet and outlet conduits a throttled inlet and a centrifugal impeller of a means for regulating the quantity and physical properties of through and to deliver the expanded fluid in a direction generally coincident with the direction of motion of said impeller.

4. The combination with a supercharger having inlet and outlet conduits athrottled inlet and a centrifugal impeller oi a means-tor regulating the quantity and physical properties of the clastic fluid, delivered th t. comprising a plurality of nozzles supplied from said inlet conduit antermto said throttle and arranged adjacent to the impeller at locations near to but anterior to the periphery, thereoi whereby to discharge into anormally positive pressure zone of said impeller under conditions of negative pressure therein, said nozzles having a tangential component relative to the plane of the impeller and being so constructed and arranged as to adiabatically expand the fluid passing therethroughandtodeli'vertheexpandediiuidina direction generally coincident with the direction oi motion of said impeller. and a means tor conducting a portion of the fluid discharge such that same is in a heat transferring relationship to said nozzles.

5. The combination with a supercharger having inlet and outlet conduits and a centrifugal impeller of a means for regulating the quantity and physical properties oi the air or gas delivered thereby. comprising a valve disposed in the inlet conduit. a by-pass conduit communicating with said inlet conduit at one end at a point anterior to the valve thereinand terminating at its other end in a plurality oi nomles arranged alongside the impeller and close to the periphery thereof, said nozzles .being' so constructed and arranged as to accelerate the flow therethrough into and in a direction to blend with the ilow through the impeller. a

6. The combination with a supercharger having inlet and outlet conduits and a'centriiugal impeller. of a means in the inlet conduit and regulating the quantity and physical propertiesotthe airorgasflowingtheremcomprising a throttle valve in said inlet conduit. a bypass conduit communicating with said inlet cona normally positive pressure duitatapointanteriortothevalvathereima check valve in said by-pass'conduit tops-event back-flow therethrough and I- plurality of m leading'irom said by-pass conduit into saitilmpell'er adjacent the periphery thereof whereby to discharge into the impeller in a region conditions.

tion of a suitable housing having inlet and outlet conduits communicating therewith, an impeller supported in saidhousing intermediate said inlet and outlet conduits. a valve disposed in said inlet conduit. a ivy-pass conduit termi- .'nating at one end in said inlet conduit and at I its other end in a plurality oi circumierentially disposed nozzles adapted to discharge into said" impeller adjacent the periphery thereof whereby in communication with said impeller passages,

and means for varying the quantity and physical properties of the fluid discharged, said means including a variable restriction in said inlet passage. a bypass passage therearound. and nozzles connected to said bypass passage and unaflect'ed by said restrictionandarranged to discharge into the radial passages of said impeller adjacent to the periphery thereof. whereby to supply inlet air direct to the periphery of the impeller for admixture with the air passing therethrough. a NATHAN C. PRICE.

under open H. In a centrifugal supercharger, the combina 

